February 2011

From Ben Dellaria, Resident Advisor to the Floor:The Catholic Men’s Floor was initially created by Gregory Crane as a place where men seeking to grow in faith could do so in a safe environment with other devoted Catholics. After being given the R.A. (Resident Advisor) responsibility, I knew I was under qualified and unprepared to lead the men on the floor. Beyond maintaining the floor, the chance that it could grow was completely out of the question. Fortunately for me, God has taken a hold of the floor and molded it into the idea we had initially hoped for. As a residence life employee it is our job to build community on our floors, but I noticed the community on the Men’s Floor was building itself. It was so clear that since the men were all pursuing God, it was only natural that community life be a result. This community where each person is safe being themselves yet challenging each other to grow, has flourished under the protection of Jesus Christ. Continue Reading

Blogging has become a way for students studying abroad to stay in touch with their friends and family, but it also serves to encourage a great deal of reflection while encountering a vast array of new experiences. At least this seems to be the case for most Catholic Studies students who travel to Rome. Kristin Vasko, a junior studying Elementary Education and Catholic Studies, is amongst the 30+ students and faculty spending the next four months in the the Heart of the Church. Together they will be experiencing the transformative power of community life, prayer, and formation. They will marvel at Italian culture (including, but certainly not limited to food and drink), beauty and art, the Saints, and the Holy Father. As they pursue their studies at the Angelicvm, they will be privileged by the knowledge of well-known Dominicans and Art Historians. This, however, only briefly scratches the surface of the myriad of experiences and events one encounters during a semester in the Eternal City. Continue Reading

You all know the story of Nicholas Flamel: he was an alchemist who invented the “Philosopher’s Stone” which produced an “elixir of life” that could turn metals into gold and bestowed immortality. Why do you know this? Because that’s the story J.K. Rowling told you in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is why. And that story is a more-or-less accurate retelling of various old seventeenth-century legends about medieval sorcery and alchemy. Continue Reading